I knew he was looking at me incredulously, but I just wouldn't meet his eye. "My staying with you will do you no good--" was hurrying now to get it over with--"and it would do me a lot of harm. I think you're right, Mr. Obermuller; I'd better just go over to where it's warm. They'll be glad to get me and--and, to tell the truth, I'll be glad to get in with the Syndicate, even if I can't make as good terms as I might have by selling that contract, which--like the famous conspiracy you're half mad about--never existed." He sat down on the edge of the desk. I caught one glimpse of his face. It was black; that was enough for me. I turned to go. "Ah, but it did, Miss Olden, it did!" he sneered. "I won't believe it on the word of a man that's been in the lunatic asylum ever since he lost his theater." "Perhaps you'll believe it on mine." I jumped. "On yours!" "Didn't that little bully, when he lost his temper that day at the Van Twiller, when we had our last fight--didn't he pull a paper out of his box and shake it in my face, and--" "But--you could have them arrested for conspiracy and--" "And the proof of it could be destroyed and then--but I can't see how this interests you." "No--no," I said thoughtfully. "I only happened to lump it in with the contract we haven't--you and I. And as there's no contract, why there's no need of my waiting till the end of the season." "Do you mean to say you'd--you'd--" "If 'twere done, 'twere better it'd be done--quickly," I said Macbethically. He looked at me. Sitting there on his desk, his clenched fist on his knee, he looked for a moment as though he was about to fly at me. Then all of a sudden he slipped into his chair, leaned back and laughed. It wasn't a pleasant laugh, Mag. No--wait. Let me tell you the rest. "You are so shrewd, Olden, so awfully shrewd! Your eye is so everlastingly out for the main chance, and you're still so young that I predict a--a great future for you. I might even suggest that by cultivating Tausig personally--" "You needn't." "No, you're right; I needn't. You can discount any suggestion I might make. You just want to be the first to go over, eh? To get there before Gray does--to get all there is in it for the first rebel that lays down his arms; not to come in late when submission is stale--and cheap. Don't worry about terms, you poor little babe in the woods. Don't--" His own words seemed to choke him. "Don't you think--" I began a bit unsteadily. "I think--oh, what a fool I've been!" That stiffened me.